How Mobile Technology Is Rewiring Our Brains

Concentrated pensive young man in glasses sitting in cafe, thinking and using laptop

University of California, Santa Cruz psychologist Benjamin Storm conducted a study where students could use the internet to answer questions versus using their memories. Shockingly, even when students knew the answers, when the internet was an option, they were more likely to use it. The difficulty or simplicity of the question made no difference: they turned to technology. It appeared they trusted themselves less than the search algorithm’s results.

Although we arguably have a symbiotic relationship with computerized technology, Benjamin Storm is unwilling to draw any hard conclusions as to whether technology is causing a decline in our collective memory. That said, he does feel it is clear we are having a shift in cognition. Whether that shift means we will stop using our brains for anything other than unavoidable motor skills, is yet to be seen.